GCSE Summer 2020 - Thread 11 Carry on Corona Cohort - Starting New Terms and Settings

[OrangeCinnamon1]

Welcome all to the 11th Thread for this year's GCSE cohort - The Corona Cohort!

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs regardless of the institute they attend or the grades they needed. It is respectfully requested that we are all supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate e.g state vs private - please don't within this thread.

Similarly it should be recognised that the grades our children need/deserve/want will vary across the board. One same grade outcome can simultaneously cause Joy and Despair for different posters. Please be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since I started first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. It is hoped this will continue. Going forward any new threads should have 'GCSE Summer 2020 Thread # : Carry on Corona Cohort' in title just to make it easier to find. Not fussy about who starts those !

From now on our DS/DD may go down various paths such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed, so we decided not to be exclusionary and stay right here in Secondary - at least until Mumsnet HQ chuck us out .

At this precise moment in time we have had GCSE results . It has been decided that the higher of Centre Assesd Grades and Calculated Grades will be awarded - the algorithim seems to have been applied a schol level to the detriment of some students. Lots of our young people have already started on the next stage of their journey with some still to start.

We are all STILL trying to protect our young people's mental health, which the government claimed was their priority...when they talk about wanting students back in schools/college in September...now we have their physical health to consider too as the mingling at various settings starts up again. Hopefully a positive experience this term!

First Thread

previous thread

@ icanbewhatiwant DS received his provisional licence today so you should get yours in the next week.

@Nard75 I messaged dvla via chat today. They said they have no record of it arriving yet. Is that what they told you? Now I'm worried it may have got lost in the post. He said to message again in a few weeks 😩

Thank you. Because of you lot I have now applied for ds's provisional licence. He's February. It still freaks me out when it says 'moped only'. So now I wait a week for the paper forms right? Return them. And then wait? Right?

Great to read about how all the DC are getting on. So sorry things are tough for your DD, @pasanda, and that Spanish has been such a nightmare for your DS @Piggywaspushed. @ChristopherTracy, I would be hacked off too, re your DS's maths - at least he is clearly now proving what he is actually capable of.

All okay here. DS seems to have a middling amount of homework - biology definitely generates the most, probably around 6/7 hours per week. He is getting on with it, sometimes feels a bit lastminute.com but that's probably because I was one of those hyper organised girlie students and he is just nothing like me! It gets done by the deadline which I guess is the main thing.

Assessments next week for all subjects apparently.

@Oblomov20 yes the forms only took 2 days to come through. Added photo and sent back. Now I have to hope they received it and we get a licence!

DD doing a lot of homework - but she's writing up revision notes as she goes (as they've said to do). As she's dyslexic it all takes a lot of time.

Easily 3-4 hours a night.

She had a wobble last night about Chemistry but we planned how she was going to get everything done and she calmed down rather. Parents evening next week so yesterday Head of Sixth told teachers they all had to give the kids assessments to discuss. Last minute - you've got three tests to do in 4 days just sent her off a cliff...Luckily the teachers aren't pleased and have been making it clear that these tests aren't important and will be very limited. Still cross about the unnecessary stress.

@icanbewhatiwant when I rang I was told that it was showing as form not received and would only be updated when the application was looked at. I take that to mean that there is no record of the form until your application is processed and then they will update online status as application processed. I would give it another week as you were a week behind me.

My DS had the payment taken for his Provisional on 18 August and it arrived in the post yesterday. The website still says it only takes a week though.

@Nard75 Ok thanks. He just said he could see that our online application went through and that we were sent the forms in the post. He said our forms should have been received by them by now, he asked if I'd sent recorded and if so to check it's been delivered. But we didn't send it recorded. Yes...I will wait another week. I don't know why he couldn't just tell me how long they are taking. He must know. Never mind, I'll give it another week or so.

@Dearover ds's was taken 1st sept. So there's still hope then 😂

Going to apply for my DS provisional too, he’s Feb but you have all inspired me to get it done.
His passport was renewed earlier this year (that took 3 months!) so can I use the photo from that?

Absolutely Fiddlers.

It’s a very strange transition this 16 to 17. DD drove me back from the supermarket today. And now has her head down declining to go out tonight with her friends as next weekend seems diary packed, and workload is high. And I’ve not had to open my mouth once...

Wish it was like this all the time ☺️

@Fiddlersgreen yes won't take long that way. My son is 12 on his passport. He was a very young looking 12 too so sentbin new photo.
It's the ones being sent in with photos that are taking ages. I've just spoken to another mum with a ds 2 weeks older than mine. Sent his off beginning of august and it's not back. So looks like not much hope for us 😩

DSs birthday is in November - I need to apply for his driving licence don’t I?

@MirandaWest yes...I have booked lessons months in advance because all instructors were booked up. I intended to send off for the licence start of august but the website was down...then i completely forgot. Birthday 14th nov. I fear the licence won't be here 🤦‍♀️

@MirandaWest you'll be ok if you use passport photo.

Thanks for the info about driving licences, DS is unrecognisable from his passport photo (expires next year so it's old) so we might have a long wait.

Dd1's birthday is next week but she's absolutely adamant she will never want to learn to drive

Hmm DSs passport expires April 2021 - he just about looks like him in the photo.

And need to think about driving lessons themselves.

And poke him about learning theory - any recommendations for theory apps/websites?

DS is the same @TheySeeHerRowling: zero interest in learning, thinks it's a ridiculous idea ;-) Applying for a licence hadn't even started to cross my mind tbh, but sounds like it should (Feb birthday)!

Sixth form states that they expect approx 5 hr's private study per subject per week. I reckon he's doing approx 2-3 hrs per night and more at the weekends. Just as well that he hasn't managed to find a PT weekend job since it would be hard to fit in if he wants a lie in and some downtime. Typical school day is out of the house at 7am and back at 5:45pm. Bed at 10:30 pm and up at 6:30 am. Formal guitar lessons have been dropped plus no more volunteering at our local park run anymore so have Fri pm & Sat am free to chill now.

In reality, DS is getting tons of HW for Maths (he's good at it but the workload is time consuming). Finding Physics & CS harder and DT is a breeze in comparison. Summary, he's enjoying DT as a stress relief.

Just had a big Maths test and end of unit tests for Physics & CS. A few are definitely struggling already in his Maths group. I'm really glad that I nagged him to do all his Pre A Level Maths in the summer which seemed to focus on loads of Algebra in the 50+ page booklet.

Driving lessons booked for end of Nov - 2 hr lessons for £60.

@sansou that is a lot of work. Ds seems to spend all day asleep at the weekends and evenings I can hear him yelling to his friends on Xbox. He says he's getting most of his extra work during free time at school. On the afternoons I collect him early he is working. Ds's day is shorter too...He moans at having to walk half a mile for the bus now (he leaves 8.15 for 8.30am bus) ds3 gets a different bus (same school) at the top of our drive at 8.30am. So the buses arrive at school a similar time. Same on the way home. Ds2 has to walk back from the other bus stop ds3 gets dropped off up the drive 10 to 15 mins or so earlier at 4.10pm. So the day is shorter than your ds.

I'm a bit worried that DS is not doing nearly enough (especially having read about sansou's DS). How do you convince your child that doing the bare minimum they can get away with is probably not enough?

DS is doing the work set, but he's not putting in any "extra". For example, if they are given a maths worksheet and asked to try some examples - that's exactly what DS will do - he'll try a few of the easy ones and then stop. He's currently preparing a presentation for geography. He's picked the topic because it's something he studied in Year 9. I have tried to suggest that rehashing his year 9 notes is not really what is wanted and he needs to do more research and explore the topic at greater depth. Not sure whether it went in or not ..

@Sansou my DD is similar in terms of the work load and commute. She too is pleased she engaged with the optional A level transition work during lockdown as she feels she’s ‘hit the ground running’ in her chosen subjects.
She is still managing to fit a shift or two in at the pub.
Noises are being made about driving lessons but neither DGF nor me are particularly up for the job of taking her out

@RedskyAtnight Snap! DS2 says the most important thing at the moment is to make friends in the new school, so he does not do work in free/study periods, and averages less than an hour/night at home (often whilst watching a youtube video in the background).

DS1 was the same and although he did very well at A levels, he was always closer to the grade boundaries than he would have been if he had worked harder, which was a constant source of frustration. If it helps, now that he is at university studying a subject he loves (medicine) I think he is working harder.